Content providers can provide multiple content streams through a transmission channel, such as a radio frequency channel. Depending on the technology providing the content, a channel can be limited in the amount of information that can pass through the channel during a given time period. Content streams can be provided through a channel at a fixed bit rate or variable bit rate, and difficulties can arise in managing the transmission of the content streams on a channel of limited bandwidth. Thus, there is a need for more sophisticated methods and systems for managing the modulation of content streams.